The present invention relates to a computer-based system for distributing and printing electronic documents. The present invention also relates to electronic commerce over the Internet.
Distributed computer systems such as the World Wide Web provide excellent vehicles for the timely dissemination of documents and images over broad geographical areas. The Web allows documents and images to be shared among different people in different geographic regions.
One scenario for a distributed computer system involves the sharing of documents between multiple corporate offices in different cities. The documents and images are stored in a central repository, where they can be managed and updated easily. Users of the Web can access the repository and obtain desired hardcopies immediately. It is quite common for some corporations to restrict the distribution of certain sensitive documents. These documents are typically tagged with a serial number, and each numbered document can only be delivered to an authorized person. Thus, security-protecting the documents from unauthorized use—is an important consideration to the successful implementation of such a system. Hence a system that provides the realization of distribute-and-print concept in a secure manner would be desirable.
Another scenario for a distributed computer system involves electronic commerce where, for example, a merchant sells valuable documents (e.g., out-of-print books, images of fine art) to a customer over the Internet. Not only is there a need for a secure way of delivering the documents and images over the Web, but there is also a need for a secure mechanism for controlling the number of hardcopies generated by the customer. In other words, a customer should be allowed to print only the specified number of copies for which he or she paid. Hence a secure printing system that provides a “per-per-print” service would also be desirable.